Search

Check out Cynthia Gorney’s piece for the NY Times, Imagine a Nation Without Roe v. Wade. After giving a brief purview of the states that still have pre-Roe abortion laws on the books (Michigan, Colorado, Alabama & fourteen others) and the states likely to keep abortion legal (New York, Maryland, California & seventeen others), she offers this thought-provoking passage:“Roe created the national right-to-life movement, forging a powerful instant alliance among what had been scores of scattered local opposition groups. What would happen to that movement, should the galvanizing target of its loathing suddenly disappear? How different would it be, fighting on simultaneous multiple fronts? And how would politicians react if an antiabortion vote were no longer easy theater, an appeasement gesture likely to be neutralized by court challenge, but instead could actually make abortion a felony? How might voters themselves react, if the election booth decision could truly make the yes or no difference?“
While I believe with my heart/mind/soul that the majority of women *aren’t willing to go back*, I believe that a post-Roe society is something that we must think *critically* about. And not just in a oh-my-god-it’s-too-scary-to-think-about kind of way. What *would* happen to the reproductive rights of women in red states? Would their state legislatures suddenly develop a conscience? Or would women be the victims of their conservative state legislatures? Would the issue be contentious enough that state legislators would allow constituents to go to the polls and vote directly on the issue? And if the polls are right, and the majority of Republicans are pro-choice, how would this sentiment map onto a post-Roe political landscape?
To this end, Gorney concludes with a warning to the left:“Since the last presidential election, reflective discussion among Democrats has included the once unthinkable proposition that the end of Roe might not prove an unqualified disaster after all – that the political process, and Democrats themselves, might have something to gain from the tumult that such a ruling would set off in the states. This thinking isn’t lost on the other side. ‘All it’s going to do is kind of balkanize the pro-life battle into 50 individual battles,’ said a Michigan anti-choice lobbyist. ‘There’s always the phrase, Be careful what you wish for.'”
Well *clearly* none of us are wishing for this outcome. But it leaves us with the same old question–where do we go from here?

Progressive should unite behind single-payer health care – but our plan must include overturning Hyde, or it will come at the cost of reproductive rights. Anything less would be a betrayal of the women who voted them into office.

Progressive should unite behind single-payer health care – but our plan must include overturning Hyde, or it will come at the cost of reproductive rights. Anything less would be a betrayal of the women who voted ...

On Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders flew to Nebraska to campaign for Health Mello, a Democrat running for Mayor of Omaha. The stop is part of Bernie’s “Unity Tour” with Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez — the beginning of a national effort to rebuild and unite Democrats around a shared vision for the party’s future.

On Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders flew to Nebraska to campaign for Health Mello, a Democrat running for Mayor of Omaha. The stop is part of Bernie’s “Unity Tour” with Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez ...

Search

We need your help!

Get Our Newsletter

New posts and Feministing news delivered to your inbox weekly!

Want to write for us?

All Feministing posts are written by the site’s collective of regular columnists and editors. Though we don’t currently accept guest submissions, we have an open platform Community site to which anyone can contribute. We often promote our favorite Community posts on the main site. And Community bloggers who consistently impress us may to be invited to become regular Feministing columnists..